PICNET NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2025

Stay Informed and Connected!

Don’t skip a beat — Share the opportunity with your colleagues to join the Provincial Infection Control Network (PICNet) Community of Practice to stay updated with the latest provincial infection prevention and control (IPC) e-newsletters about new Provincial guidelines surveillance reports and knowledge translation tools. Plus information about provincial IPC projects and events. You will also receive notice of provincial IPC advisories.

In addition, you and colleagues can subscribe to receive educational opportunities about upcoming events and notification of Webber Training© education – an international lecture series on IPC topics. Check out past education session recordings and slide decks here.

Let’s ensure everyone stays informed and connected. Join us in growing our Community of Practice!

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Viral Respiratory Illness Guidelines 

In a collaborative effort, PICNet and the B.C. Ministry of Health developed comprehensive Viral Respiratory Illness (VRI) resources through the work of the Provincial COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control/Workplace Health and Safety working group in partnership with health authority representatives, public health, and other partners. We extend our gratitude to all partners who contributed to the development of VRI resources.

We celebrate the publication of these resources and appreciate that health authority IPC programs have prepared for the implementation of these new VRI guidance documents. We anticipate that the content well aligns with the practices in the province however, we encourage IPC programs to review their existing resources to ensure alignment with these final versions now available on PICNet’s website:

• Provincial Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Viral Respiratory Illness in Acute Care and Ambulatory Health Care Settings
• Provincial Outbreak Guidance for Viral Respiratory Illness in Acute Care Settings
• Provincial Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Viral Respiratory Illness in Long-Term Care and Seniors’ Assisted Living Settings
• Provincial Outbreak Guidance for Viral Respiratory Illness in Long-Term Care Settings
• Provincial Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Viral Respiratory Illness for Primary Care Practitioners and Community-Based Health Care Providers
• Provincial Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Viral Respiratory Illness in Home and Community Health Care Settings
• IPC Viral Respiratory Illness Poster for Clients Receiving Home Care and Household Members

These guidelines cover VRI (including COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and common cold infections). Additional changes from COVID-19 specific guidelines include:

• Removal of COVID-19 pandemic specific measures.
• Addition of definitions section, as well as a definition for probably and confirmed VRI cases.
• Updated screening recommendations, including a shift to passive screening, for HCWs, patients and visitors. 
• Updated links to where to find current guidance documents, tools (e.g., signage and posters), and resources.

COVID-19-specific information will be removed from BCCDC’s COVID-19 Infection Control webpage. VRI guidelines, can be accessed on PICNet’s Respiratory Infections webpage.

For any questions, please reach out to a representative on the Provincial Infection Prevention and Control/Workplace Health and Safety working group or PICNet.

PICNet’s Respiratory Illness Dashboard

In November, PICNet updated its Provincial Respiratory Illness Surveillance in Acute Care Settings Dashboard to include both counts and proportions of emergency department visits testing positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, or Influenza A and B down to the facility level. Alongside these newly added testing indicators, the dashboard continues to provide syndromic surveillance of respiratory illness in acute care settings. It is refreshed every Thursday at 5:00 AM to reflect data from the most recent epidemiological week.

If you do not currently have access to this dashboard and are interested, please contact picnet@phsa.ca.

Updated Surveillance Protocol for Carbapenemase-Producing Organisms (CPO) & Candida auris (C. auris) in British Columbia

An updated surveillance protocol for CPO & C. auris has been posted on PICNet’s website: Surveillance Protocols | PICNet.

Changes include updated CPO and C. auris transmission notification processes and the addition of a CPO transmission notification threshold.

Members  New PICNet Team Member: Diandra Mark

We are pleased to announce that Diandra Mark joined PICNet on December 2nd as the Leader, Knowledge Translation (formerly known as the Education and Practice Coordinator role). Diandra is a Registered Nurse and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, Certification in Infection Control (CIC), and is a Master of Science in Public Health candidate at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

In this role, Diandra will join PICNet’s Education and Practice team to lead the design and development of practice guidelines education tools and programs for IPC professionals, health care providers, patients, and families. For more information, please check out the announcement on PICNet’s website.